


Self-Rescuing Princess

by seibelsays



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-16
Updated: 2018-04-27
Packaged: 2019-04-24 00:33:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 7,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14344209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seibelsays/pseuds/seibelsays
Summary: Jane Foster and Darcy Lewis are the latest scientists to be employed by Stark Industries and relocated to Avengers Tower.Too bad no one told them that.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Set after CA:TWS and TDW but before AOU. I have this story completely finished, so updates should be fairly regular. As always, any and all mistakes are mine.

“Shit,” Darcy muttered, peeking through the curtain at the two, very large men approaching their door. 

“Jane, we’ve got company!” she called as loudly as she dared.

Jane’s eyes widened. “Friendly?”

“TBD.”

“Shit,” the scientist muttered. “Okay. Moving to Charlie Plan.”

Jane and Darcy had become slightly paranoid in the years since Thor had first shown up in front of their truck and thrown their lives into complete (but mostly happy) disarray. Between the initial debacle following his arrival, getting their research stolen by SHIELD, getting yanked around into a completely unnecessary field trip to Norway, and finally the Dark Elves Universe-Ending Episode of the last week, their level of trust when it came to random very large men showing up unannounced was approximately zero.

Fortunately, the two women had plenty of downtime between actual Science! episodes to plan escape routes and contingencies for almost every possible outcome.

Darcy grabbed her messenger bag and checked the charge on both her tasers (yay! Shiny new tasers!), while Jane tossed two notebooks into her own bag and threw a USB stick on a chain around her neck and tucked it under her tshirt. Jane tossed a second USB to Darcy as a loud knock sounded on their door.

Jane slowly, silently made her way through the apartment to the back door. Darcy put a hand over the security chain and sent up a silent prayer to Frigga (Valhalla bless her) that Thor would return soon. Then she cracked open the door as much as the chain would allow. 

“Can I help you?”

“Dr. Foster, my name is Sam Wilson. We’ve been sent to collect you -” the smaller of the two men began.

“Don’t care,” Darcy interrupted and pulled the trigger on the taser she’d aimed through the opening in the door. The man dropped with a thud.

“Sam!” the other man exclaimed while Darcy tried to slam the door closed. Unfortunately, Sam Wilson’s bulk was wedged against the door, preventing it from closing any further.

“Janey, run!” Darcy yelled.

Jane’s eyes went wide but she didn’t hesitate to bolt out the backdoor onto the fire escape.

Darcy was fighting a losing battle holding the door closed against the other man and soon was thrown across the small hallway as the door exploded from the force of his entry. She scrambled up and pulled her second taser.

“Come any closer, buddy, and I will tase you into a 70 year nap!” she yelled.

A strange, confused look crossed the man’s (admittedly drop-dead gorgeous) face and he raised his hands in a slightly placating gesture. “I’m not here to hurt you,” he said.

“Tell that to my door.”

“How many volts did you just send through Sam?” he snapped.

“I’m not getting kidnapped by you assholes a third time!”

The man froze. “A third time?”

“Yes, asshole. First you came for us in New Mexico, then you stuffed us in that HOLE in Norway. I’m not going anywhere with anyone I don’t know.”

The man closed his eyes briefly and raised his hands a little higher. “I’m not with SHIELD. I’m here on behalf of Tony Stark.”

“Prove it.”

“Call him yourself.”

“Oh sure - hey Siri, dial up Stark for me, will ya? He’s on speed-dial.”

“Darcy!” Thor bellowed from the fire escape.

Darcy smirked. “Now you’ve done it,” she muttered.

Thor barged into the apartment, stopping just short of the standoff in the hallway.

“Darcy,” he said slowly, then looked at the other man. “Steven.”

“You know this jagoff?” she asked him, gesturing with her taser.

“Yes,” he replied. “This is Steve Rogers. He’s a friend.”

Steve Rogers. Why was that name familiar?

“And the other guy?” she asked warily.

Thor glanced at the man groaning on the floor. “Him, I do not know.”

“He’s a friendly!” Steve said quickly. “I can vouch for him.”

Darcy slid her eyes towards Thor, who nodded, and she slowly lowered her taser. “The fuck, dude.”

“Could ask you the same, Dr. Foster.”

Thor looked confused. “This is not Jane Foster,” he said.

“If we even knocked on the wrong door, I’m going to punch you in the head so fucking hard,” came Sam’s voice from the floor.

“I’m Jane’s assistant, Darcy.”

“Steve Rogers. Lovely to meet you, ma’am.”

“Likewise.”


	2. Chapter 2

Steve couldn’t keep himself from stealing glances at the feisty brunette every few minutes once they were settled onto Stark’s jet. She was certainly...something. Something that he wasn’t going to think about too closely because then he’d certainly have to consider her appearance, which he then might realize reminded him of his favorite pin-ups from oh so long ago. Nope, best not to think about her at all.

So of course, once they were at a comfortable altitude over the Atlantic, he moved to sit next to her.

“Your taser packs quite the wallop,” he remarked drily. 

Darcy smirked and dog-eared her page in her book. “Yeah, your boy is gonna have a headache for a few days.”

“Know that from experience?”

“He got hit with the same taser I used on Thor. You were going to be the first victim of my newer model.”

Steve blinked. “You...tased...Thor?”

“Yes, I did. It’s kinda how we met.” Darcy looked very proud of this fact.

Steve blinked again. “You have an interesting way of making friends.”

“It’s a gift.”

Steve huffed out a laugh. A slight silence fell between them. Steve was just about to excuse himself when Darcy spoke up.

“Why’s your name so familiar? I mean, it’s not all that uncommon of a name, but still. It’s itching my brain.”

Steve shifted in his seat. “Well -”

“We’re about an hour out from landing, Cap,” Clint interrupted, nodding slightly at Darcy in recognition.

“Thanks Barton,” Steve said with a nod, dismissing the archer, who turned to leave as quickly as he appeared.

Darcy’s eyes had gone a wide as she put two and two together. “Captain. Captain America.”

Steve grimaced. Just once he’d like to have a conversation where his alter ego didn’t show up. “Guilty.”

“Damn. Missed opportunities.”

“I beg your pardon?” If she was even a Captain America groupie he would just jump from the plane now.

“Who else could claim to take down both Thor and Captain America with nothing but a taser?” she teased. “Honestly, the bad guys are trying way too hard.”

Steve gave a long-suffering sigh, trying valiantly to cover his relief. “Maybe we shouldn’t let that particular story wander too far, okay?”

“Spoilsport.”

***

Steve had barely stepped off the jet when Natasha tossed a bag at him. 

“Gear up - got another hit in your missing person case. Wheels up in 10.”

Steve nodded then glanced briefly around for Thor, who was helping Jane load her bag into the car that was waiting to take her and Darcy to their new lab in Avenger Tower.

“Do me a favor,” he muttered at Thor. “Remind me to have a little talk with Stark about properly informing his scientists about who will be escorting them to the Tower and when.”

“Do not worry, friend. I intend to have words with him myself.” Thor glared in the general direction of the car where Jane and Darcy were waiting. “His thoughtlessness scared them.”

Steve nodded, then left Thor to tend to the two women while Steve focused on his mission to find Bucky.

***

Steve dragged himself out of the elevator. Another dead end. Another day where he’d gotten his hopes up. Another time he’d dragged Sam out of the country, away from his family, his life, his - 

Steve’s stomach let out an embarrassingly loud rumble. Whatever was in the kitchen smelled absolutely amazing.

Sam pulled the lid off the absurdly large slow cooker on the counter and breathed in the scent. “Definitely a step up from the usual lukewarm pizza.”

Steve peered in. “Colcannon and bangers? That’s...different.” And achingly familiar, but he kept that to himself. He picked up the small note next to the slow cooker. In an unfamiliar hand, three words were scribbled. _Welcome back boys._

Sam shrugged. “Someone must have called down to catering on 4 when they heard we were inbound.”

Steve looked skeptical. Nothing that had ever come out of 4th floor catering had ever smelled this good. But, he was hungry and tired, and wasn’t going to question it too hard tonight. He filled a plate and dug in where he stood.

He only just bit back a rather embarrassing moan as the flavors filled his senses. At that particular moment, he couldn’t recall anything ever tasting quite that good and he only just remained this side of polite with the way he shovelled the food into his mouth.

Sam was enjoying just as enthusiastically. “Wherever this is from, we need to order from there way more often,” he said around a mouthful of potatoes and cabbage. Steve grunted in agreement and refilled his plate. 

A few minutes later, Sam and Steve had almost completely consumed the entire contents of the slow cooker. Sam looked completely dead on his feet, so Steve shooed him out of the kitchen and started packing up the few leftovers and putting their dishes into the dishwasher. 

“JARVIS?” he asked.

“Good evening, Captain.”

“In the morning, could you send a thank you to whoever got the food? We really appreciate it.”

“Of course, sir.”

That detail complete, Steve wandered towards his suite, hoping the copious amounts of comfort food filling his belly will lull him into a heavy sleep. Heaven knows he needed it.


	3. Chapter 3

None of Jane’s homemade equipment had a tendency to randomly explode, so the fact that this was the third magic Science! box of Stark’s that she’d had to pull a fire extinguisher on made her want to complain to management.

Darcy sighed and hit the smoldering mess with one last blast from the canister before dropping it to the floor and pushing her hair out of her eyes. Jane looked on, sadly, probably mentally calculating how much work they’d have to redo.

“Your mad science skills are clearly too much for Stark tech, Boss Lady,” Darcy quipped, trying to cheer her friend up.

“Bad time?” asked a voice from the door.

“Cap! Welcome to the Funtastical World of How Not To Science. I’ll be your guide-slash-fire fighting consultant for today,” Darcy held out her arms to show off the wreckage of the lab.

“I hope you weren’t needing my latest analysis anytime soon,” Jane said darkly. 

“Nope, not me. Just wanted to check in, see how it was going,” Steve replied. Darcy smirked. If tasing Captain America’s partner in not-kidnapping resulted in personal superhero butler service, she’d have to remember to do it more often.

“Does Captain America check in on all the new scientists?” Jane asked, keeping just a smidge of heat in her tone.

Darcy bit back the full-on grin that was threatening to show itself and attempted to school her expression into something Black Widow-esque. She wasn’t entirely sure she was successful, but gave herself an A for effort.

“Only when the circumstances of their arrival are less than ideal.” 

Oh that was rich. “Self-rescuing princesses, dude. We’re good,” Darcy really tried to keep the acid out of her voice, but the whole thing still stung a bit. 

“You do realize no one was actually trying to kidnap you, right?”

Jane geared up for a tirade. “You do realize we don’t give a shit? After the nonsense we’ve been subject to -”

Steve raised his hands in surrender, “Okay, okay. I’m sorry. I didn’t come down here to argue.”

Jane deflated slightly, almost looking disappointed that her rant had been cut short. She nodded curtly, and turned back to the whiteboard to try and figure out a next step, now that they’d fried their machine. Darcy made a mental note to grab her some ice cream later.

Steve looked a little lost then and Darcy took pity. “Mind if I put those muscles to use? I want to lug this thing to the service elevator and get it downstairs before it stinks up the whole floor.”

Steve nodded and started rolling up his sleeves. Darcy tried not to gape, but she was fairly certain a soft strangled sound escaped her anyway. Apparently, the machinery wasn’t the only thing exploding around here today. Her libido might not survive her time in Avengers Tower.

_Dammit, why is that a thing that’s so hot._

As he pushed the still smoking equipment out of the lab, Steve glanced at her. “What happened anyway?”

“Not entirely sure,” she replied while she held the door, “I think it just overloaded. Too much power.”

“Dr. Banner mentioned there had been some weird things happening in his lab as well - should we talk to him, in case there’s something bigger going wrong through the building?”

Oops. “Uh...does he happen to share lab space with Tony Stark?” she asked, not quite meeting his eyes and scratching a non-existent itch on the back of her head.

“Yeah, why?” Steve gave one final push to get the boxy machine into the elevator.

“It’s not related.”

“O...kay. How do you know?”

Darcy pushed the button to send the elevator to the boys in the basement for disposal. “Let’s just say that Thor and I are making it up to Sam.”

A small crease of concern appeared between Steve’s eyebrows. Dammit, why was that cute. What self-respecting superhero allows himself to be this adorable, anyway.

“Not sure I understand,” Steve replied.

“Static electricity. The God of Thunder and I are juicing up Stark so full of static that he gets the full voltage that hit Sam - but slowly. Very, very slowly.”

Steve blinked. “So that means…”

“Every time he touches something metal for the next two weeks, he’ll get a little shock.”

Steve was silent for a moment and Darcy was sure she was about to get a lecture on responsibility or maturity. And then he bust out laughing. A full on belly laugh that split his face into the largest grin she’d ever seen and made her just a little weak at the knees. 

Darcy had new life goals - see that smile as often as humanly possible.

“Sam know about this?”

“A highlight video is sent to his email every night.”

“You’re trouble,” he said with a fond grin.

“I spend my days surrounded by geniuses and superheroes. If I didn’t find a way to laugh at how ridiculous my life has become, I’d probably never stop hyperventilating.”


	4. Chapter 4

_Thought you’d appreciate the knowledge that Jane has blown up another two machines since you ran off to save the world again._

Steve stared at his phone. Texting wasn’t a new concept to him - Natasha and Sam texted him all the time. But that was almost always mission related. This was...something else.

His phone beeped again with another message notification.

_This is Darcy, BTW. Nat gave me your number - hope that’s OK._

Steve smiled. Natasha was matchmaking again. At least she wasn’t quite so far off base this time.

_Not a problem at all. You’re the first non-work related message I’ve gotten._

_Well buckle up, friend. I never talk work if I can help it._

Steve stifled a laugh at that, but he still caught Natasha’s sharp eyes shift over to him. He would have stared her down, if his phone hadn’t beeped with yet another message. Damn, how does he turn that sound off again?

It was a link to a news article titled “Are Uncrustables A Type of Ravioli?” Darcy appended a note following the link. _Discuss._

_Am I supposed to know what an Uncrustable is?_

_FOR SHAME MISTER. They were a staple of my childhood._

_Must have missed that._

_Don’t worry. I’ll teach you. Coming home soon?_

Warmth bloomed in Steve’s chest as he tapped out a reply. 

_On my way now._

***

Darcy dreamily started out the window, watching the sun come up over the city. She was precariously perched on the back of the couch, swaying slightly, drunk in sleep deprivation. Normally, she’d make herself some hot chocolate for her vigil, but after stuffing both herself and Steve full of junk food when he’d gotten home on Monday, she was still full.

“Darcy?” 

With a yelp, Darcy slipped off the back of the couch and onto the cushions, her legs flailing in the air.

“Sorry! Sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you,” Steve soothed, rushing around the side of the couch to help her up.

Darcy waved him off with a laugh, “You’re fine, stop fussing. Aren’t you getting a late start?”

Steve blushed slightly. “Am I that predictable?” Darcy only raised an eyebrow in response. “Taking it easy today, I guess. It’s been a long week.”

Darcy hummed her acknowledgment but didn’t say anything else as she climbed back into her perch to resume her vigil at the window.

Steve stared at her, and if it was a moment too long, Darcy could write it off as a figment of her sleep-starved imagination. “What’s got you up this early?” he asked quietly.

“Haven’t been to bed yet. Me’n Jane been on a...what day is it?”

“Friday.”

“Shiiiit. 76 hour science bender.”

“Seventy...Darcy what the hell are you doing out here?”

“S’quiet. No expectations at this hour, you know? S’just...me.”

She heard a slight shuffling behind her as Steve moved to next to her to state out the window. “Yeah,” he replied so softly she might have dreamed it.

“Yeah.”


	5. Chapter 5

Steve and Sam are tucking into another late-night meal after another disappointing dead-end mission.

“Is it just me or has the food gotten better around here lately?”

“Maybe Pepper hired a new catering company,” Steve shrugged. He pulled his phone out of his pocket - no new messages. He stared at his plate for a moment before making his decision.

_Back home safe. Talk to you tomorrow?_

He hesitated before hitting send - it was stupidly late and she was surely asleep. And honestly - would she even care that he was home?

“Just send it already. You’re giving me anxiety over here,” Sam said, with a grin.

Steve gave a long-suffering sigh and pushed the button.

And was rewarded with an almost immediate response.

_I’ve missed your face - meet me for lunch later?_

***

A few days later, Darcy peeked from around the corner as Steve slumped into the couch. He looked exhausted. For a moment, she considered abandoning her plan and leaving him be.

Forget that. She wanted that smile, dammit, and he sure looked like he could use a friend.

“Gotten rid of the stench yet?” she asked, walking into the room.

Steve’s eyes popped open as his head turned towards her. “It was just a baseball game.”

She snorted. “Sure. Captain America throws out the first pitch at a Yankees game. The crowd watches as his soul dies.”

Steve settled back into the couch. “It was a charity thing,” he muttered.

“You know what the great thing about time zones is?” she knew it was a non-sequitur but had faith he’ll stay with her as she sank into the cushions next to him and picked up the remote.

He humored her with a tired smile. “What’s that?”

“Our day is over, but Dodgers-Giants starts in 10 minutes. And Stark has a subscription to all the sports channels.”

His eyes softened as she played with the remote to bring up the Dodgers home feed. “And how does a gal from Virginia start following the,” he tried not to grimace, “Los Angeles Dodgers?”

She grinned at that. “I got my undergrad in Virginia. My gran raised me a Pirates fan.”

An appreciative look settled on his face. “Clemente.”

“Damn straight. Current owner is a douche though, so I’m a bit of a free agent.” She eyed him speculatively, debating her next words. “Could do worse than cheering for Steve Rogers’ team.”

They silently stared at each other for a long moment while the announcers went through their pre-game chatter. 

“Until the Pirates play the Dodgers, of course.”

“Oh then all bets are off, for sure.”


	6. Chapter 6

Finally. FINALLY. A solid lead on HYDRA. Steve tried to leave the Bucky-shaped guilt in the lobby as the elevator rushed them into the sky towards what now passes for home. No leads on his friend - his brother - but they’re this much closer to finding Loki’s damn glowstick and maybe he’ll be able to actually sleep tonight.

But first, food. Delightful smells greet them as the elevator doors slid open and Barton practically knocked him into the wall in a rush to get to the absolute banquet spread out on the kitchen island. Natasha rolled her eyes fondly in Steve’s direction as she tried to direct the archer away from just smashing his face into the casserole dish under the warmer. 

Steve grabbed a few plates from the cabinet as Clint tossed his equipment in a corner with a clatter.

“Hey,” he scolds, “it’s late, I’m sure the others are asleep. Keep it down.” Steve tried (and failed) to keep the imagined image of a sleep-mussed Darcy stumbling out of her suite to scold them for waking her up. The closest he’s ever come to seeing her like that was the morning they watched the sunrise and damn if sleepy!Darcy hadn’t been running around setting his imagination on fire ever since.

They’re friendly enough these days, with a standing baseball date whenever the Dodgers are playing and the two of them are on the same continent. And she generally indulges his “security detail” with a smile when she insists on actually going outside the confines of the tower for a coffee run, even though they both know she could absolutely handle most of the mundane catastrophes everyday New York could throw at her. And probably a few of the less mundane ones as well - Stark had repeatedly upgraded her tasers after he got over the sting of her static electricity prank. She was on version 7 or so by now.

He knew he should get off his ass and actually do something about this crush he’s harboring. Maybe once they deal with the HYDRA. In the meantime, he’s going to drown all of his thoughts in the stew he’s served himself because he swears he could live off the smell of it alone.

Clint is practically licking the plate as he finishes his rather enormous serving of enchilada lasagne. “Well, I’m going to go declare my undying love for Darcy Lewis and see if I can persuade her to bear my children.” Clint pushed back from the table to move his plate to the sink and Natasha laughed as Steve froze.

“The universe doesn’t need any more Bartons running amok,” she called after him. He flips her off as he wandered down the hallway towards his room.

And Darcy’s room. Son of a bitch.

The food in Steve’s stomach turned to lead as he lowered the spoon back to the bowl. Too slow again, Rogers. His self-loathing kicks into overdrive and he completely missed whatever it is Natasha said, but she’s holding a hand out for his bowl and he handed it over wordlessly. He pushed his chair back from the table so forcefully the legs gouge indents in the floor but he can’t be bothered to care.


	7. Chapter 7

“The next time I see Tony Stark,” Darcy spat, “remind me to lock him in the obstacle course until he figures out how to make this damn thing actually useful in a fight!” 

“You could have tested it first,” Jane muttered as she spliced two wires together.

“In the two minutes between him handing me Version 8.4 and us getting in the car?” Darcy hissed back. They were currently ducked behind the bar, while all hell broke loose in the hotel around them. 

“That lighter still handy?” Jane replied.

Darcy dug through her bag and handed it to her. Their entire stock of weapons were whatever Jane could scrounge together from the remains of the sound system and the contents of Darcy’s bag. Which, to be fair, included the materials for three cherry bombs and a few Molotov Cocktails if they raided the bar, as well as a garrote that she wasn’t entirely confident using and the brick formerly known her StarkTech taser. She’d prefer to refrain from burning down the building while they were still inside, however, so that limited their options.

A chandelier crashed somewhere in the ballroom and Darcy knew their time was running short. They needed to move, now, and get to the damn stairwell before these HYDRA idiots got lucky. She was about to say so to Jane when the bit of the bar in front of her exploded, knocking her out of her crouch and onto her back and slamming her head into the wall. A thug in tac gear leapt forward with a knife slashing precariously close to her torso. 

And then he was flying backwards, knocked unconscious by a serving tray-turned-deadly frisbee to the face. Dracy twisted around, trying to catch a glimpse of who she’d be hugging later. 

“Steve?” she muttered, but that hope quickly died on her lips as she caught a glimpse of shaggy, dark hair and a flash of silver.

Oh shit. Definitely not Steve.

In her panic, she almost missed the tiny jerk of Bucky Barnes’ head gesturing towards the serving tray. The whine of her taser completing it’s utterly stupid warm up cycle spurred her into action, to roll out of reach of another thug. She grabbed the tray and slammed it over said thug’s head, then grabbed Jane and ran for the doors.

Jane twisted two last wires together as Darcy grabbed her and the sound system exploded with a massive boom and a shower of sparks. Anyone caught in front of them was down, if not completely unconscious.

Darcy and Jane were two feet from the fire door when it exploded inward. On instinct, Darcy pulled Jane behind her, aimed the taser, and pulled the trigger.

The diodes bounced harmlessly off a very familiar and patriotic frisbee.

“Ste - Cap!” Darcy winced as her caught herself just in time. No names in the field.

His eyes quickly appraised both women then the scene behind them. “Was in the neighborhood. Thought I’d catch the speech and see if you needed a ride.”

A slightly hysterical laugh escaped Jane as the three rushed out the door and down the steps.

***

Darcy sat in the back of the SUV, gripping Steve’s arm hard enough that the bruises might actually last more than a few minutes.

“You take the self-rescuing princess thing seriously, don’t you?” he asked lightly.

Maybe a little too lightly. Tears finally spilled from Darcy’s eyes and she turned and buried her face into his chest.

“Thanks for showing up anyway,” came her muffled reply.

She might have imagined it, but later she would swear she felt gentle fingers whisper over her hair and an almost silent, “Always.”


	8. Chapter 8

It took all of Steve’s willpower to keep himself from wrapping Darcy up tightly in his arms, and not letting go until they were safely ensconced at his cabin upstate. Every single one of her tears that soaked his uniform felt like a knife to the gut and he knew he wasn’t going to feel settled again for a very long time.

With all his willpower directed elsewhere, there was nothing stopping him from running his hands over her hair, finally discovering for himself that her curls were absolutely softer than he’d imagined. Her tears subsided and her breathing wasn’t coming in short, sharp bursts anymore, so he risked another, more thorough stroke.

And found the strands to be wet.

He pulled his hand away from her, and found it red with her blood. 

“JARVIS, gets us to the Tower now. Darcy needs medical!” He barely registered the sharp turn and the sirens as the AI overrode their route and kicked the specialized SUV into emergency mode. 

Blind panic tore at him as he gently shook the unconscious Darcy. “Come on Darcy, wake up. Wake up, please, sweetheart, please.” He tried to get himself under control and mentally ran through head injury protocols. The world would right itself immediately if she would just open her eyes.

The SUV slammed to a stop and the door flew open as they arrived. Steve barely noticed Jane climbing out of the second car and yelling something, as he hurriedly got Darcy out of the car and onto the waiting stretcher. The two doctors who had been waiting whisked Darcy away and Steve could only stare after them.

“Oh my God, Steve!” Jane exclaimed.

“You should - she’ll need…” he stuttered, then took a moment and began again. “You should go with her,” he bit out and quickly closed himself in an elevator and directed JARVIS to get him to his floor. 

Choking. It felt like choking.

He pulled off his cowl to get some air and caught a glimpse of his uniform.

Soaked in her blood.

He couldn’t stop the sick from rising in his throat and escaping into the corner of the elevator.

He gagged again and again.

He needed air.

The elevator doors slid open and he ran. Past the common kitchen, past the giant entertainment center, and almost past his own door.

He skidded to a stop and threw open the door, practically tearing it off its hinges as he ran into the bathroom. Seams popped as he ripped off his uniform and threw himself under the icy spray of the shower, only breathing properly again once the water hit him.

Or as properly as it was going to get until he knew Darcy was okay.

***

Once Steve had regained a tiny bit of control over his senses, he dressed and stumbled to the communal kitchen. He remembered getting panic attacks before the serum, and something to eat in the aftermath always helped him continue to calm down. 

_Head wounds always look worse than they are. It’s probably just a concussion._

The recitation wasn’t exactly helpful. He looked around in confusion as Natasha pulled a baking dish out of the freezer that had “STEVE” printed in giant letters across the foil. 

“Someone forget to order?” he asked, as he scrubbed a hand across his face.

Natasha raised an eyebrow. “That supposed to be funny?”

“What?”

“What?”

“I don’t understand,” Steve said.

Natasha stared at him for a long moment. “You do realize that JARVIS alerts Darcy every time we get a call? We suit up, she starts cooking.” The blank look on Steve’s face that generally suggested his brain had shorted out somewhere must have urged Natasha to continue. “She’s literally been doing it since the night you brought her here. You didn’t know?”

Steve shook his head and sighed as he slumped onto a stool at the counter. Shame is not the most pleasant of emotions, so just tack that onto his guilt-trip tab, please and thank you. He’ll take it to go.

A small crease formed between Natasha’s eyebrows. “You always thank her though.”

“I always ask JARVIS to send a thank you to whoever got the food. I assumed someone was ordering it.”

“Ah.”

“Yeah.”

“Well, the freezer is stocked with extra meals for all of us. They’re all personalized, she tries to match up favorite foods with nutritional needs for each of our...specialties.”

Steve half-heartedly glared at Natasha for adding to the guilt. “Why would she do that?”

“She called it her ‘In Case I’m The Reason You Assemble Insurance.’”

Brilliant. Steve slumped further until his head bumped softly off the counter.

“JARVIS, how’s Darcy?” Natasha asked.

“She has regained consciousness. They are taking her for further evaluations now.”

“Food will be a minute. Maybe you should go down and see her,” Natasha pushed gently.

“I’m sure Clint is with her,” was his muffled reply. The countertop was cool against his head and felt nice, even if the angle was a little rough on his neck.

“O...kay. So?”

Steve finally lifted his head. “They’re seeing each other, I’m sure they’ll want some time before everyone else goes rushing in.”

It was Natasha’s turn to look like her brain shorted out - an impressive feat, to be sure. There was a lot of blinking. When it stopped, her lips twitched into a smile. “You want to run that one by me again?”

“He said…”

“Barton thinks with his stomach. If he actually attempted to pursue something with Darcy - well, let’s just say that his previous ‘cognitive recalibration’ would look like child’s play.”


	9. Chapter 9

Steve paused in the doorway to Darcy’s room, peaking around to see if she had any other visitors at the moment. When he’d confirmed they were alone, he allowed himself to finally look at her properly.

She was a mess. Pale, and a little bit ashen, with bandages around her head and on her hands. Her nose twitched a little as she stirred, and she shifted slightly as she opened her eyes.

“Hey you,” she whispered.

He pushed himself off the doorway and slid into the chair next to her bed. “How are you feeling?”

“Concussed.”

“Never fun.”

“Nope. Took a bit of shrapnel, too. Adrenaline is a hell of a thing.”

Steve bit the inside of his cheek. She’d been hurt and he had been too slow to save her. He gave her a _ride_ after she saved herself. 

But that’s all him. He shoved his guilt back down and gave her a tiny smirk. “Guess you won’t be up to Stark’s shindig tomorrow then.”

“S’too bad. I bought a new dress and everything.” 

“Next time.”

“Yeah,” she muttered. She reached for his hand. “I’d been hoping I could beg a dance off my favorite baseball date.”

He smiled at her. “You can have all of my dances.” 

“Oooh, I might hold you to that.”

“Counting on it.”

Darcy smiled softly. “Steve,” she breathed.

Steve’s smile faltered. “Yeah?”

She squeezed his hand. “Today was scary.”

He swallowed hard. “I know. I’m so sorry, Darcy. I should have been there.”

Confusion crossed her face. “You were there.”

“If I’d been faster -“

“Stop. Don’t do that to yourself. I’m good, we’re good, everything’s fine.”

“How is this good? You’re in the hospital!”

“And how many times have I watched you come home from a mission beat to hell? Or worse, watched you leave for a mission and had to worry that I’ll never see you again.” She could feel him start to pull his hand away, so she held tighter. “Today sucked. My head hurts, well my everything hurts. Can we just not fight right now?” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “I just - I need…”

“I’m sorry, Darcy.” Steve pressed a kiss to her forehead. “You’re right.” 

“Can you...if I shove over…”

“Anything you need.”

Darcy moved over to make room in the bed and Steve climbed in, wrapped his arms around her, and pressed another kiss to her temple.

“I have a confession to make,” he said quietly. “I didn’t know you were cooking for everyone.”

“Huh? You didn’t?”

“Had no idea you even could cook.”

“Oh.”

“Thank you. For taking care of us.”

He felt Darcy shrug. “What’s a few super-sized appetites ravenous after saving the world.”

Steve huffed a laugh. “You’re really good.”

“I went to culinary school.”

“You did?”

She nodded. “Before Culver. Never wanted to be a chef or anything, just. I don’t know. I wanted to learn.”

“Nat said you make things specifically for each of us?”

“Double minor in nutrition and history.”

“You didn’t do college halfway, did you.”

“Nope!” She smiled. “Thought I’d try to work on food policy, maybe start a nonprofit or something.”

“What happened?”

“Thor fell out of the sky and I tased him.”

Steve filed that statement away for later thought.

“I need to tell you something. About today.”

Steve tightened his arms around Darcy. “Okay.”

“I saw Bucky.”

Breath caught in Steve's throat. 

“One of those thugs got the drop on me after the bar exploded. Bucky saved me.”

Steve closed his eyes.

“Your friend is still in there, Steve. We’re going to get him back. We’ll bring him home.”

This woman. Dear God, this woman. He’d given up on ever finding anyone after he’d come out of the ice. When Tony asked him to pick up a scientist from London, it never crossed his mind that he’d meet someone who would understand him so well. 

Natasha had once suggested that he pretend - make something up - in order to connect with anyone person. He’d never had to do that with Darcy. 

“Darcy, I-“

“Morning, Sunshine - OH!” Jane Foster turned bright red, spun around, and sputtered apologies as she quickly retreated back out the door.

Darcy snorted with laughter. “That’s awkward.”

“Only if we make it that way,” Steve said. He touched his forehead to hers. “I should go.”

“Thanks for being an awesome pillow.”

Steve grinned. “Anytime.”

Darcy traced a line up his arm to his neck. She tugged him a little closer and brushed her lips against his, once, twice, and then lingered a third time. “Go do good today.”

He nodded slightly and tucked a bit a hair back behind her ear. “Think I could get another one of those when you’re not concussed?”

She laughed and his heart soared. “You can have all of them,” she replied and pulled him in for their fourth kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next: the epilogue!


	10. Epilogue - 3 Years Later

_3 years later_

Darcy unlocked the door to her tiny cabin in Inverness and flipped on the light. Bucky growled at her back, but she ignored him in favor of getting her one bag of clothes and four bags of groceries in the door and the door locked behind them as quickly as possible. She never would have guessed that he was so growl-y when he showed up on her doorstep 2 years ago, holding the leash of Clint’s dog Lucky, but today had been a long ass day.

Bucky stalked around the small house, checking every room for heaven knows what. At this point, she didn’t even bother to ask. She’d hung around spies and assassins long enough to know the deal, which was honestly why she even owned this cabin in the first place. She knew how and when to protect her own.

Bucky finished his sweep and started putting groceries away. “Steve check in yet?” he asked quietly. 

She twisted her brand new gold wedding band nervously and shook her head. “No, not yet.”

Bucky nodded and silence filled the cabin once more.

He was late. He was infiltrating an extrajudicial underwater prison built to detain all kinds of “enhanced individuals” to prison break their friends and he was late checking in. 

If she ever saw him again, she’d probably kill him.

Three knocks on the door froze both Darcy and Bucky in place. He held one finger to his lips in a “quiet” gesture and pulled his gun with the other. He slowly approached the door and peaked through the tiny window.

He sighed and relaxed his posture as he opened the door. “You were supposed to call, not fly your stupid ass all the way out here.”

“Plans changed,” Steve replied, stepping into the entryway.

At the sight of him, Darcy could breathe again. “Everyone okay?”

He nodded, but wouldn’t meet her eyes.

Watching the exchange, Bucky rolled his eyes and started muttering about idiot friends and how terrible he must have been in a past life for the universe to hate him so badly in this one. His muttering continued as he went outside, presumably to ensure Steve hadn’t been followed.

“Steve.”

He hummed but looked anywhere except for her.

“Steve, look at me.”

He shook his head. “You deserve better than this, Darcy.”

“Oh god, not this again.”

“I’ve had enough of your mouth, Darcy. I’m being serious. The things I did tonight? I’m going to be on the run from just about every government agency on the planet, probably for the rest of my life.” He shook his head and finally met her eyes. “I never meant to drag you down with me. But there’s still time. You can walk away, right now and-”

“No.”

“You should be free to live your life!”

“Who says I’m not? It’s my choice, Steve. You really think after _everything_ that I could just walk away? That I’d even want to? I love you, you idiot, and my place is with you. Period. Full stop. I’m not having this argument again.”

Darcy started moving about the kitchen, cobbling together some semblance of a meal. Steve just stared at her.

After a few minutes of tense silence, she slams the cooking sheet on the counter.

“For Frigga’s sake, Steve - you have something to say, just say it. You think I deserve better than this? You want me to leave so you can feel justified in your misery? I wouldn’t put up with your specific brand of bullshit for as long as I have if I didn’t think you were worth it.”

“I don’t -”

“Have any faith in me, clearly.” With that, she grabbed her jacket off the hook and went outside, passing Bucky on his way back in.

Bucky either overheard their argument or guessed what happened from the wrecked look on Steve’s face.

“Go get your girl, before I do.”

“Buck -”

“If you were anyone else, I’d fight for her. Hell, if you don’t get your ass outside right now and talk to her, I still might.”

Steve swallowed hard. “Could you make her happy?”

“Not as happy as you, pal.”

***

Darcy hadn’t gone far. She’d only made it to the porch swing before dissolving into tears. The sight of _his wife_ in tears and knowing he was the cause broke something inside of Steve and his decision was made. No more running.

“You remember the day we met?”

She looked up at him, swiping at the tears on her cheeks. “Of course I do.”

“You were stubborn as hell, loyal beyond a fault, and if I thought I’d have a chance in hell I’d have proposed on the spot.”

Darcy looked at him strangely. “Why wouldn’t you have a chance in hell?”

Steve barked a short, angry, laugh. “I’m Captain America.”

Darcy blinked. “No,” she said slowly, as if to a child, “you’re Steve Rogers. Captain America is a uniform you wear, a job you do.”

Steve stared out into the night. “Still have a target on my back,” he muttered.

Darcy was silent for a moment. “Darcy Lewis doesn’t even officially exist anymore,” she finally said, sadly.

Steve’s head snapped to her. “What?”

She shrugged, meeting his eyes. “I waded into this world all those years ago knowing that my life would never again be what I’d always imagined. But there are other ways to reach those goals. Exactly none of them require sacrificing my own happiness. And if they did,” she shrugged again. “Reevaluate and adjust.”

Steve gaped at her. “You -”

“Piggybacked JARVIS’s line into SHIELD to erase myself from history, yes. Someone would have to try pretty damn hard to hit their target if they went looking for me. If anyone ever thought they had reason to look. I’m no superspy, Steve. I’ll never be able to do what Natasha or Clint or even Sam can do. But at one point I thought -” she stopped and closed her eyes. 

“Thought what?” he prompted.

She shook her head. “Doesn’t matter.”

“Does to me.”

“Self-rescuing princess, Steve. I took myself off the board.”

Steve reeled with this new knowledge. “How did I not know about any of this?”

Darcy smirked. “What would you have done if you did?”

“Tried to talk you out of it. We aren’t worth it.”

“And I’d have called you a liar.”

“Darcy….if I lose you, I lose everything.”

“Don’t be stupid. I’m not everything.”

Steve moved to sit down on the glider and tentatively reached for her hand. “Ultron told me I couldn’t live without a war.”

“Ultron was a giant sack of crazy pants.” Steve huffed a bitter laugh at her response but didn’t say anything so she continued. “If you insist on going down this asinine road, I should remind you that there are all kinds of different wars. Maybe Steve Rogers was destined for a different one than Captain America.”

Steve stared at their intertwined hands. “Bucky’s fighting a war of his own, most days.”

“Yes he is.”

“He could use someone at his back.”

“Yes he could.”

Steve nodded silently, then raised his eye to meet Darcy’s gaze. “Think someone who doesn’t officially exist would have a retired Captain America?”

“I think she’d happily take Steve Rogers. However she could get him.”

***

Tony Stark ripped open the Priority Letter with concern. Inside was one sheet of paper with neat type:

**Steve Rogers, formerly known as Captain America.  
Status: RETIRED**

Below that, was feminine scrawl he vaguely recognized from lab reports he occasionally glanced over:

_Don’t come looking._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY INFINITY WAR DAY!
> 
> Thank you for reading this far with me. 
> 
> Fun fact: there was originally an additional subplot bringing Bucky home. However, that particular Bucky wanted to keep Darcy for himself, so that story eventually became Everything Is Chocolate Chip Cookies, also posted here on AO3.
> 
> Anyway, thank you again for reading. Let’s hang out on Tumblr - I’m @seibelsays
> 
> May all your favorite bands stay together.  
> <3 seibelsays


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